1. Field of the Invention.
This invention pertains to document storage, and more particularly to apparatus that divides large sections of stored media into smaller sections.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
Various equipment has been developed to aid in filing and retrieving documents. At a basic level, file folders of various sizes are well known and in widespread use for holding individual documents. To store a quantity of file folders, a variety of cabinets and shelvings are commercially available.
A common type of filing equipment is made as a cabinet with pairs of longitudinally spaced end posts. Rows of horizontal shelves are supported by the end posts. Depending on the filing capacity needed, pairs of intermediate posts can be used between the end posts to support the shelves. The file folders are vertically oriented and stacked in flat facing contact next to each other along the lengths of the shelves. In many applications, the cabinet is incorporated into a frame that is moveable along a building floor in a manner that conserves floor space in the building.
Another well known system for storing file folders uses a rack and suspended boxes as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,031,088. The rack is constructed with horizontal rails supported by and extending between upright posts. The boxes have open tops and fronts and hooks on their back walls. A number of boxes are suspended in rows on the rails by means of the hooks. Lower ends of the back walls of the boxes in one row rest against the rail that supports the next lower row of boxes. A relatively small number of file folders are stacked in vertical orientation in each box. If desired, the boxes and their contents can be removed together from the rack and carried to a different location.
In many applications of rack and box filing systems, the systems are double-faced. That is, rails are on both sides of the vertical plane containing the posts. Two banks of boxes are then suspendable back-to-back on respective rails. In that situation, the weight of the boxes and the media filed in them is generally approximately equal in both banks. The load carried by the posts is almost exclusively compressive.
On the other hand, many applications of rack and box filing systems are single-faced, having a bank of boxes on only one side of the plane containing the posts. In those situations, a bending load is applied to the posts. Consequently, the posts deflect along their lengths. A common loading for commercially available rack and box filing systems is approximately two pounds per linear inch along the rack. Under such loading, the tops of the posts deflect as much as approximately 0.38 inches in the horizontal direction.
Both the shelf filing systems and the rack and box filing systems can reach long lengths. Lengths of 40 feet are not uncommon. In both cabinet shelf filing systems and rack and box filing systems, the file folders are usually coded in some fashion. The codes enable filing personnel to quickly locate the desired folder. For example, the file folders may be arranged in alphabetical order, with file folders continuing or. lower shelves or rows of boxes as upper shelves or boxes become filled.
It is commonly known that long uninterrupted rows of file folders can be difficult to use. Filing personnel can more efficiently retrieve and refile the file folders if there is a visual break between the ends of the rows. If a physical visual break is lacking, the filing personnel often create imaginary boundaries between subsets of files. However, over time the files can shift outside the imaginary boundaries.
In cabinet shelf filing systems, individual partitions could be installed on the shelves. The partitions normally fit into slots in the horizontal shelves and in a back wall. The partitions worked well for breaking long rows of file folders into shorter sections. However, the prior partitions used with cabinet shelf filing systems had the disadvantage of being restricted to the locations of the slots in the shelves and back wall. Such locations were often not optimum for the particular filing requirements at hand. In addition, in order to divide more than one shelf, a different partition had to be installed in each shelf; there was no way for a partition to divide more than one shelf.
Regarding rack and box filing systems, prior to the present invention no means existed for visually breaking long rows of boxes.
In accordance with the present invention, a floating partition is provided for rack and box filing systems that divides the full height of a large section of stored files into smaller sections. This is accomplished by a panel that does not deform when used on a single-face rack and box filing system.
According to one aspect of the invention, the floating partition is incorporated into a single-face rack that includes a decorative horizontal base cover. The floating partition is comprised of a relatively thin panel having a height substantially equal to the height of the rack above the base cover. There is a clearance between the panel bottom edge and the base cover. To enhance the dividing feature of the floating partition, the front edge of the panel is formed with a visually attractive three-dimensional contour. A rounded or rolled contour along the full height of the panel front edge is satisfactory.
The back edge of the panel is provided with means for mounting the floating partition to one or more of the rack rails. In one embodiment of the invention, the means for mounting the floating partition comprises top and bottom fingers that engage the lips of two rails. The fingers may be integral with the panel, or they may be separate pieces.
In the preferred embodiment, the top finger is near the top edge of the panel. The top finger is constructed with an L-shape, and it is coplanar with the panel. The top finger has a first edge that is perpendicular to the back edge of the panel, and a second edge that is parallel to the panel back edge. The second edge is spaced from the panel back edge and cooperates with it and the finger first edge to define a top recess. There is a tab on the top finger, which may be perpendicular to the common plane of the panel and the top finger. Alternately, the tab may be bent over at 180 degrees to the plane of the panel and top finger. Preferably, the tab is along the second edge.
The bottom finger is generally similar to the top finger, having first and second edges. The bottom finger first edge is perpendicular to the panel back edge. The distance between the first edges of the top and bottom fingers is substantially equal to the distance between the lips of two rails on the rack. The second edge of the bottom finger is parallel to the panel back edge and cooperates with the panel back edge and the first edge to define a bottom recess. The bottom finger may include a tab that is similar to the tab on the top finger.
The floating partition is mounted at any desired location along the rack rails between the boxes. The top finger first edge rests on the lip of a first rail on the rack, and the bottom finger first edge rests on a lower rail. The three-dimensional contour of the panel front edge enhances the visual dividing feature of the floating partition. As many floating partitions as desired can be used to suit the requirements at hand.
In a single-face application, the horizontal movement of the rails caused by post deflection is accommodated by the clearance between the panel bottom edge and the base cover. The tab on the top finger straddles any gaps between the ends of abutting rails. Consequently, the floating partition can be located anywhere along the rails without danger that it might slip out of or get stuck in a gap. Because the floating partition is made of thin material, and also because it is infinitely adjustable along the rails, it does not interfere with the boxes suspended from the rails.
The method and apparatus of the invention, using a floating partition having fingers with recesses adjacent a panel back edge, thus divides multiple long sections of filed media of a rack and box filing system into shorter sections. The probability that the floating partition will buckle or deform during use is remote, even though the posts of a single-face system deflect under the weight of the filed media.
Other advantages, benefits, and features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the detailed description of the invention.